A few thoughts on "Goodbye".

10 June 2013

Ask a few long term Mercy Shippers what the hardest part of
living in this community is and I would guess the majority would respond, “goodbyes”…
followed closely by “change”.

We’re warned about it before we arrive; they covered it in
Gateway, articles are passed around and discussions are encouraged about how to
deal with the ever present, low-level grief you can feel in such a transient
community. The only constant here is
change; we move from country to country and project to project, with people
coming and going every day. Part of me wonders what kind of crazy we all are to
live like that… And then part of me thinks it’s actually, in fact, the
healthiest place to be.

I’ve been with Mercy Ships for a year now (total), and I can
honestly say this last six months have been the richest of my life. I am
surrounded by some of the most incredible men and women one could ever hope to get
to do life with.I have found a fulfillment
in my work I had only dreamed about in the past; not only am I doing something
I’m good at but my heart is alive and passionate about the mission and calling.I have found myself not just surviving the
community culture but thriving and growing, with a circle of deep, sweet,
treasured friendships that truly is an embarrassment of riches.I’ve loved Africa ever since moving here
nearly four years ago, and this year in Guinea has only increased that love.

In the last week I’ve had to say goodbye to Guinea; to the
French speaking world, plantain chips and running in sewage and the joyful
songs of patients and malaria ridden mosquitoes. I’ve had to say goodbye to
friends I’ve come to love dearly – some I will reunite with soon, and some I
may never see again.In the next few
weeks I will say goodbye to the ship and Europe and my work here… if only for a
short, but significant, time away on vacation.And when all of this is gone, when I’ve said the last goodbye, there is
only one thing that remains:God.His calling on my life – wherever, with
whoever, doing whatever.

My life is richer because of the relationships I’ve had and
the people I’ve worked with and walked with, danced with and cried with; and my
life is richer because of the places I’ve seen and lived and experienced.My story is well flavored with cultures,
languages, stories, smells, accents, colors, tastes, and journeys.And I am so very grateful for it all - but my
life is not defined by those things. Those things are wonderful, but they are
temporary.Some are more temporary than
others – but ultimately, my story is not defined by them, it’s defined by God, and
choosing to walk in the freedom of that life to the full.

I’m blessed this year because I don’t have any hugely
dramatic, heart-wrenching goodbyes. But
I’ll be blessed next year, too, when I do have them; blessed because those
treasures have flavored my story, blessed because I knew them, and blessed to
be able to send them off into the next chapter with love, knowing I will see
them again if not in this life in the next.

I no longer dread the goodbyes – I choose to bless those who
are leaving into the next great thing.Some of them I know it’s unlikely I will see them again… but that
doesn’t make the relationship any less valid, or our time together any less
special.It was a special gift for a
season – and while I might miss that, I know and trust God to fulfill all my
needs – so instead of holding them, and myself, back in grief, I can release
them with joy into the next season.Some
of them I know I will see again, there’s no getting around it – and those are
the special ones.Special friends like
Becky, Rachel, Emma, Josh, Lisa… People who I have met all over the world who I
knew within the first few hours together that they were someone I wouldn’t ever
have to say goodbye to – it would always be ‘until next time’.

Lest I sound arrogant, let it be said that I don’t have this
thing figured all out.I know I will cry
and grieve and miss my friends and ship and job and continent… saying goodbye
is still hard.But instead of sitting
alone with my grief in the dining room for the next three weeks, I want to
embrace the season and sit with someone new, a treasure waiting to be
discovered; embrace and experience the joy of new friendships unfolding and
stories being told and flavors added to this incredible masterpiece God is writing.

About Me

Currently blogging from Cambridge, Massachusetts

Disclaimer:

This is my personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here are my own and do not reflect the views and opinions of any organization or institution with which I am currently or was once affiliated. This includes but is not limited to Mercy Ships, Harvard University, University of Liverpool, Peace Corps, or the US Government.